Local airports affected by possible FAA cuts

Workers at local air traffic control facilities could lose their jobs if Congress can't agree on a budget

The Federal Aviation Administration is bracing for major cuts that would impact four local airports. Those cuts will take effect on March 1 if Congress can't agree on a budget.

On Friday, the FAA revealed its backup plan, which includes closing four local air traffic control towers. XNA is not on the list, but some other towers they rely on are.

"The list was nice to see. It was nice to see we weren't on it. It was nice to see that Little Rock was not on it. We do have a concern that Fort Smith was on that list, and our approach control is from the Fort Smith tower," XNA Airport Director Kelly Johnson said.

Also on the list: Springdale, Fayetteville and Rogers -- all of which have air traffic control facilities that could soon be closing.

The FAA says it's part of the $600 million in cuts it will have to make if Congress can't agree on a budget.

"What I saw was the FAA's game plan, and that was to try and furlough folks one day a month. There's also a list of 100 air traffic towers that they're looking at closing. There's also a list of 60 towers where they will suspend nighttime coverage from midnight to early morning," Johnson said.

This means some people in our area would lose their jobs, and travelers can expect more delays.

"With the lines at the checkpoint, we're in pretty good shape with the staffing level we have here right now. Where you're going to run into problems are at those big facilities on your way back, where there are already lines where you wait 15, 25 minutes. They're saying those lines could be quite a bit longer," Johnson said.

Nothing is set in stone right now, but XNA is already preparing just in case.

"If sequestration does kick in, they are required by law to give these employees a 30 day notice. So we won't see anything at least until April since it goes into effect on March 1. That may give our Congress time to work out the problems, and we may not be affected," Johnson said.

She said there may be a silver lining to all of this. If those cuts kick in, Johnson believes it will get everyone's attention, and maybe something in Washington will change.

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